January 31, 2006, and I am sitting here reading an editorial from a New York journalist, "Still in Limbo."

Yes, we are still in exile. Still 337 miles away from home with the pain in our hearts every night when we read what's not happening in New Orleans.

We left in the early morning hours of the 27th of August, and what we left behind was a nurturing neighborhood, Spring Lake, in New Orleans East. (I like to capitalize "East.") We left behind caring and wonderful neighbors who just wished each other luck on our long drives and bid adieu until we could return home again.

My husband boarded up our home the previous day and just as we were getting in the car, he called us all back in the house to pray. We held hands and prayed together for the Lord to bring us all back home, back to the house that my husband so lovingly put together, that we so willingly invited our friends and family over for every holiday, party, house-lighting celebrations, New Years' parties, crawfish boils - you name it.

To this day and this moment I can remember the looks on our daughters' faces when my husband cried at the end of his prayer.

Unfortunately, our house suffered probably the worse fate in our subdivision. Besides the storm surge that came in through the rear of the house and tore apart our back wall, two months later the top floor was set on fire by arsonists.

Our youngest daughter refuses to go to the house. Our oldest daughter sometimes resents the fact that we didnt' return home in some way so that she could go to school with her friends.

I truly can understand the term "limbo." I go back to New Orleans and can't wait to get there. I want so much for everything to get so much better. I want so much for the Government to help as they said they would.

I will continue to keep New Orleans and its renewal in my heart as my husband returns to his job there in two weeks. I will continue to hope and pray that the city that I gave everything up for two years ago to move to will somehow mean something more to Congress, Mr. Bush, FEMA and those who think that New Orleanians should have known better.